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A Decline in TV Viewership
May 09, 2007
“Where are the viewers?” is probably a question being asked by a lot of television execs these days with “Where did our advertiser’s go?” being the next.
In TV's worst spring in recent memory, a startling number of Americans drifted away from television the past two months: More than 2.5 million fewer people were watching ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox than at the same time last year, statistics show. Everyone has a theory to explain the plummeting ratings: early Daylight Savings Time, more reruns, bad shows, more shows being recorded or downloaded or streamed.
The networks argue that viewership is changing, not necessarily declining. Some advertisers respond that they are no longer willing to pay full price up front to reach viewers that may not tune in later.
Scariest of all for the networks, however, is the idea that many people are now making their own television schedules. The industry isn't fully equipped to keep track of them, and as a result the networks are scrambling to hold on to the nearly $8.8 billion they collected during last spring's ad-buying season.
''This may be the spring where we see a radical shift in the way the culture thinks of watching TV,'' said Sarah Bunting, co-founder of the Web site Television Without Pity.
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Comments
Melissa wrote:
Here's the problem as I see it: the networks are throwing too many tv shows at us at once and not giving any of them a chance to really lift-off. This season and last season were the only times I can remember so many new shows filling in during the hiatus of others. It's almost brain overload. They're going for quantity now, not quality. Plus, the hiatus used to be the time that those of us who are not as tecnologically inclined to download shows on the internet or onto an iPod could go back and watch the reruns of the shows that we missed because it was preempted by severe weather, emergency news, or we just plain fumbled and forgot to watch/record it. I'm not saying don't try anything new or don't toss the shows that just aren't performing, but give the ones that are slightly fumbling a chance to boost themselves back up. How many shows faltered in ratings simply because people didn't know when they were coming back onto the schedule with new episodes? As I said regarding the new ones, GIVE THEM A CHANCE! How many shows that lasted for years on television had kind of a rough start?
I don't know about other people but when I sit in front of the tv, it's to relax after a long day at work with so much going on with tv schedules and who's cancelled and who's not and not even getting the chance to see one I may have missed, I'm more apt to pick up a book since I know I'm going to have satisfaction from that. Television has so much chaos now that it's hard to enjoy it for what it is; a vacation for the mind. The networks just need to take a step back and simplify it just a bit. It's not just about the money they make from the shows, it's also about customer satisfaction.
I am getting off my soapbox now.
posted at May 16, 2007 04:22 AM
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